CREMONA - Although several nearby municipalities dropped out of the Southern Alberta Energy From Waste Association (SAEWA) the Village of Cremona is staying put.
SAEWA is a collaborative group representing 60 southwestern Alberta municipalities and stakeholders with the mission to develop an energy-from-waste facility for the treatment of solid waste.
"Council agrees that it is an important initiative especially with our current government," said Luana Smith, Cremona CAO. "This is something they (NDP) support and the minister (Shannon Phillips) supports these kinds of initiatives."
Smith and Coun. Robert Reid, Cremona council's representative on the SAEWA board, are developing a letter to send to the Mountain View Regional Waste Management Commission asking for them to support SAEWA as well and pay for the memberships of all the local municipalities.
In other council news, the village will be having a public budget meeting on Feb. 12 at 112 Railway Avenue at 6:30 p.m.
"Council has seen the first draft (of the budget) and they will make any changes. I'll make a presentation of the budget and the public will then be invited to attend and they'll have the opportunity to have questions," she said.
Smith said the budget so far is looking quite good.
"I'm really excited," she said. "Because our public works foreman got his water and waste water Level 1 (training), we no longer need to use contracted services for that. That'll save us approximately $80,000."
Smith added that the village is now doing all its finances in-house rather than having it done by Mountain View County.
"We now have that back so that's saving us $30,000," she said.
She said that she expects to bring the completed budget to council for its Feb. 21 meeting.
The village will be attending a workshop with Urban Systems on Jan. 25.
"We're doing a subdivision on our main road, which is Railway Avenue (Highway 580) on the south side," she said.
"So we're changing the zoning from highway commercial to direct control. They'll discuss (councillors and planners) what that will look like."
